JC
So many of our favourite songs are as multi-layered as any of the texts we study in school; with the new term dawning, we listed the best tracks of the year so far. Below, you’ll find the activities linked to our number 2 choice: ‘The Cave’ by To Kill Achilles.
- MUSIC FOCUS: To Kill Achilles.
- ACTIVITY FOCUS: Explore ideas about light and dark in a way that will help you analyse your core or unseen texts.
ACTIVITY 1
Listen to ‘The Cave’ by To Kill Achilles.
ACTIVITY 2
Read the lyrics closely and write down/highlight all the words/phrases related in any way to ideas about light or dark.
So as the flowers begin to blossom
I feel myself coming out of the costume
That I donned last Halloween
I feel the winter months are so mean to me
And I reflect it, in every scene that I play
Spend my nights alone and pray that in the morning I see rays of sunshine amongst the grey
But all I get is just more rainy days
I like the cave
And yeah it’s dark but it feels safe and I’m not ready to behave like everyone walking the pavement
They’re all exposed
To the elements and expectations of a life I should be living
No I’m ready to thrive so I just stay inside
But I keep looking for the rays of sunshine
Peering through the cracks for signs, I make it back
So I ask a favour of everyone who ever cared
Please swear that from time to time you’ll let me cross your mind
And come and visit the cave and ask me if I’m ready to leave
And if I still say no, on your way out as you wrestle through the trees
Remove a branch and leave a ray of light
To let me know that you’ll be back when the time is right
And we’ll walk out hand in hand when I have won this fight
Oh would you be the light to my dark?
And could you comfort me and my lonely heart?
Oh would you be the light to my dark?
And could you pick me up when I fall apart?
It’s not selfish to work on yourself
But I still need your help
‘Cause I’ve been in here for a while
And I still need to see you smile
And I still need to hear you say that this is gonna’ be ok
And if it takes more time
That’s alright ’cause I will make it to the light
If you can promise you’ll be there
If you can promise I can meet you in the fresh air
If you can promise I can meet you in the fresh air
If you can promise I can meet you
Maybe, when considering activity 2, you noted the following…
- as the flowers begin to blossom / I feel myself coming out of the costume
- Halloween
- winter months
- nights alone
- pray that in the morning I see rays of sunshine amongst the grey
- But all I get is just more rainy days
- I like the cave
- it’s dark but it feels safe
- I’m not ready to behave like everyone walking the pavement
exposed / To the elements and expectations - come and visit the cave and ask me if I’m ready to leave
- wrestle through the trees
- Remove a branch and leave a ray of light
- I will make it to the light
ACTIVITY 3
You might have picked the same quotes that I’ve chosen (the ones above in green) – or you might have picked others. Either way, now label the techniques used by To Kill Achilles in each chosen quote.
You might find this terminology useful:
- colour symbolism
- modal verb (verbs used to express possibility, ability, permission, or necessity)
- metaphor
- coordinating conjunctions ( words such as ‘but’ allow writers to link ideas of equal weight within one sentence)
- active and passive verbs
- pronoun
- pathetic fallacy
- transitive verbs (verbs that take an object, which means they include the receiver of the action in the sentence)
- juxtaposition
- alliteration
- adverb
- religious imagery
- symbolism
- plural/singular
ACTIVITY 4
Now, consider – in each quote – what we’re learning about light and dark or the relationship between the two things.
For example:
when considering To Kill Achilles’ idea that: “as the flowers begin to blossom / I feel myself coming out of the costume / That I donned last Halloween,” the plosive alliteration (“begin to blossom”) underlines the power inherent in those flowers – the force with which they burst into life. But it’s also indicative of To Kill Achilles’ appreciation of light because flowers typically symbolise joy, and of course that ‘joy’ couldn’t surface without the presence of light. And it’s not as if the light serves as the catalyst for just a small amount of joy. That verb, “blossom” infers a mass. Anything capable of giving life to masses of joy is clearly to be understood as a positive influence. The fact that the light also encourages To Kill Achilles out of their metaphorical costume further underlines its positive impact. By associating his own costume-shedding with the blossoming flowers, To Kill Achilles singer Mark Tindal depicts his own metamorphosis as a positive step. As we move through the lyrics, To Kill Achilles – whilst perhaps still shrouded in darkness – remind us of light’s continual presence and significance. This idea could be juxtaposed with the idea of “Halloween”, which we recognise as a once-a-year affair… (You might now want to research Halloween and start thinking about how To Kill Achilles use Halloween to represent their feelings about darkness…)
ACTIVITY 5
Look for those quotes that will help you explore the relationship between light and dark in any of the texts you’re being asked to analyse in the GCSE or A-Level classroom. You could start with just one ‘light’ quote and one ‘dark’ quote. Analyse the pair of quotes in a way that shows you understand the relationship between light and dark. What are our course writers trying to tell us about light and dark?
You might find our Yonaka/Holding Absence class helpful when thinking about ‘light’ quotes!! Also, our Linkin Park/BMTH/Shikari lesson when thinking about darkness!!
Once you’re done, please do send your work in! We want to publish the most exciting ideas!
Now, have a look at our analysis of the chaos dominating both Trophy Eyes’ music and Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’.